Electronic Media Performing Arts Center
Troy, New York, 2001
As envisioned in this competition project, the Electronic Media Performing Arts Center is a multi-dimensional facility for the city as much as for the academic community. It was designed to be easily accessible and to extend the perception of the campus to its westernmost edge, which is strikingly visible from the Hudson River down below. The topography of the site allowed the building to be entered at mid-level, leading to a three-dimensional experience as the visitor simultaneously sees above and below, left and right. more
The building was designed to be read from outside to inside. Composed of five main materials—glass, metal, wood, light, and sound—it has outer and inner envelopes. The general concept of the building is of two envelopes with circulation passing between them. This simple notion allows maximum spatial flexibility inside the innermost envelope, while the glazed outer envelope or facade reveals the main circulation routes.
The double envelope simultaneously provides a clear and powerful expression in the form of a glass cube and displays dynamic activity behind the glass walls. The movement of visitors becomes a spectacle of its own. At night, the building becomes a shadow theater of real people and virtual images, providing a striking emblem of campus activities.
Each major programmatic entity, including theater, black box, recital hall, and music practice rooms, is organized on its own level. Six main levels and four alternating mezzanine or intermediate levels allow a simple reading. All of the individual lobbies interact with the main circulation and social space of the building. The objective is identity and interaction. back
Credits
SCHEDULE
Competition Finalist, spring 2001
SIZE
145,000 sq. feet
BUDGET
$33,000,000
CLIENT
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
TEAM
Lead Designer: Bernard Tschumi. Key Personnel: Anne Save de Beaurecueil, Kim Starr, Valentin Bontjes van Beek, Jonathan Chace, Liz Kim, Thomas Goodwill, Robert Holton, Joel Rutten. Consultants: Matt King, Nigel Tonks (ARUP) back
Program: Cultural, Educational, Performance, Public Buildings
